Gate assembly



Jan. 17, 1967 T. A. OVERBY 3,298,134

GATE ASSEMBLY Filed Nov. 25, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Wax IN V EN TOR. 721500254 04 T. A. OVERBY GATE ASSEMBLY Jan. 17, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 25, 1964 INVENTOR. $232564 Affi/ZVW United States Patent Office 3,298,134 Patented Jan. 117, 1967 3,298,134 GATE ASSEMBLY Theodore A. Overby, 411 11th Ave. SE., Aberdeen, S. Dak. 57401 Filed Nov. 25, 1964, Ser. No. 413,814 4 Claims. (Cl. 49-394) The present invention relates to a gate assembly comprising a plurality of cooperative parts and elements particularly adapted to the improved function and operation of a gate assembly, and more particularly the invention relates to an improved assembly of gate elements including a gate handle, a latch, and a pair of strap hinges for mounting on spindles of differential lengths that provides improved quick mounting and demounting of the gate.

An object, therefore, of the present invention is to provide an improved latch mechanism that is of a reduced number of parts including a single spring, and which includes said spring being mounted from extending lug portions of the latch mechanism, so that greater tension is provideddto return the arms of the latch mechanism to an original position when both arms thereof are displaced, as compared with a single arm thereof being displaced.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a stop element on the gate handle that prevents the gate from being lifted off its hinges when the handle is disposed in the latch mechanism and the handle is wedged or locked by means (not shown) into its normally rest position to provide more secure means for maintaining the gate in place, and then when it is desired to remove or replace the gate in position, the spindle arrangement of the mounting hinges is constructed to provide the necessary quick remounting thereof.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent upon full consideration of the following detailed description and accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevational view in which certain component parts are shown in detail in cross-section, and in which the preferred embodiments of the invention are illustrated;

FIGURE 2 shows that portion of the gate assembly in a plan elevational view taken along lines 22 of FIG- URE 1;

FIGURE 3 shows a plan elevational view taken along lines 3-3 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 shows a stop or lock mechanism mounted on the gate handle; and

FIGURE 5 shows one of a pair of latch arms in perspective view showing the essential component structure of a portion of the present invention.

Referring now to the drawings, there is shown a gate mounted by a pair of strap hinges 12, 12 secured by bolts 14, 14 to the gate, and the strap hinge includes spindles 16, 18, each of which is mounted from a threaded shank 20, 20 from a gate post 22.

The hinge spindles 16, 18 are shown of differential lengths so that as the gate is mounted by the hinges from the spindles of the hinges, facility in mounting is available by inserting the hinge 12 on the longer spindle 18 first, and the other hinge 12 is then mounted on the shorter spindle 16. In this manner, additional effort and time are unnecessary to provide alignment of the strap hinges with the spindles 16, 18 when they are constructed of equal lengths and require that each of the hinges be simultaneously inserted over the respective spindles concurrently in physical alignment therewith, as is required in the prior art.

The bottom portion of the spindles 16, 18 is provided with an annular flange 24 to friotionally support the hinge 12 for rotation thereon.

In order to provide means for ready adjustment of the hinge and alignment of the gate on the hinges as well as selectively mounting the gate with any necessary tilt, as may be desired, there are provided adjustment bolts 26, 26 and 28, 28, so that the spindles 16, 18 may appropriately be moved inwardly or outwardly from the gate post 22 and the gate may hang in a manner so that the gate will always rest in a given position due to the force of gravity, or the gate may be perfectly mounted by positioning the spindles along a common axis to each other. The adjustment provided by the bolts 26, 28, admits the limit of simplicity in such adjustment of the strap hinges and of the mounting of the gate 10.

On the free edge of the gate 10, there is mounted from the lower portion thereof a gate handle 30 that extends generally upwardly. As shown in FIGURES 1 and 3, there is provided a bracket member 32 that limits the movement of the gate handle. The gate handle is constructed of metal and the bent portion thereof, shown at 34, provides a given resiliency in the handle so that it moves, as illustrated by the arrow 36 in FIG- URE 2. When the gate handle is displaced to a position shown as 30a in FIGURE 2, the handle is free of the pair of latch arms 40, 40 of the latch mechanism 42. The latch arms 40, 40 are pivotally mounted by pins 44, 44, and have their free ends 46, 46 provided with a scalloped or saw-toothed configuration so that the latch mechanism may receive various widths of gate handles and yet remain securely related therewith without providing undue spacing between the ends 46 of the latch arms and the gate handle.

There are extensions or rocker lugs 50, 50 extending away from the pivotal portion in a generally opposite direction from the latch arm 40, so that an end portion of the rocker lug may receive a spring 52 resiliently mounted under tension between the end portions of the rocker lugs. The pull spring 52 prevents undue friction and rubbing of the several parts of the latch arms and other components of the latch mechanism 42 in such cases where more than a single spring is used as in the prior art. A single spring is provided to operate both latch arms 40, 40.

Auxiliary lugs 56, 56 may also be provided at the ends of the latch arms to engage stop means 58, 58, respectively, so that the rotational displacement of the latch arms is usefully limited and the latch arms do not lose their tension, nor is the spring capable of thus becoming loose and dropping off of the end portions of the latch arms.

It is seen that the notches or saw-toothed portion pro vided in the ends 46, 46 of the latch arms take out all of the play between the latch and the handle 30 and yet remains operable so that noise is eliminated and the handle is not allowed to slip by the latch if the gate 10 is generally swung into the direction of the latch mechanism.

An adjustably fastened stopper element 64, shown in FIGURE 4, including a pair of adjusting screws 66, is adjustably fastened to the gate handle 30 to prevent the gate 10 from being lifted off of the spindles 16, 18 when the handle is in its rest position. The handle may be secured in the rest position by a wedge or look extending through the recess or opening 68 in the bracket 32, as shown in FIGURE 3.

The gate may be lifted off of the spindles 16, 18 if the gate handle 30 is depressed toward the gate and the gate lifted so that it is removed from the spindles. In this way, the gate may be removed without opening the gate. Otherwise, the gate may be opened in a conventional manner and similarly lifted olf of the spindles 16, 18.

It is seen, therefore, that for a heavy gate, that as a result of the differentially constructed spindle lengths the gate may be mounted by positioning one of the strap hinges on the longer of the two spindles, and then subsequently mounting the other strap hinge on the shorter of the two spindles. The upper or free end of the spindles may terminate in a conical or tapered portion 70, as shown, to facilitate insertion of the spindle through the opening in the strap hinge.

A modification of the invention includes a modified latch arm 40a, as is shown in FIGURE 5. The free end thereof with respect to the pivotal mounting is absent of a saw-toothed configuration.

It should be understood that the specific apparatus herein illustrated and described is intended to be representative only, as many changes may be made therein without departing from the clear teachings of the invention. Accordingly, reference should be made to the following claims in determining the full scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A gate latch and assembly comprising a gate hingedly mounted from one side thereof from a first gate post, a handle resiliently mounted on the free extreme outer edge of said gate and extending substantially parallel to the free edge of the gate, a pair of pivotally mounted latch arms mounting on a second gate post, said pivotally mounted latch arms being spatially disposed to each other, said arms being disposed to be engaged by the handle in closing of the gate, each of said latch arms having a rocker lug extending away from said pivot mounting in a generally opposite direction of said arm, the rocker lug having an end portion receiving an end loop of a spring extending between the rocker lugs, auxiliary lugs extending from the rocker lug, and stop means engaging said auxiliary lugs to limit the pivotal movement of said latch arms, said pair of latch arms being pivotally mounted on vertical axes for swinging in a horizontal plane, and stop means adjustably mounted on the handle under the portion where it engages the latch arms to secure the gate from being lifted when the handle is not displaced.

2. The invention according to claim 1 wherein said hinged mounting for said gate includes a pair of strap hinges engaging spindles mounted on said first gate post, one of said spindles being longer than the other to be engaged first in mounting the strap hinges With facility,

and in which both spindles have a tapered end portion References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 45,162 11/1864 Last 292-81 392,297 11/1888 White 292l30 690,043 12/1901 Allgier 39--35 1,216,740 2/1917 Simpson 3934 1,440,420 1/1923 Stuchlik 29282 X 2,708,286 5/1955 Tollefson 16130 X 2,860,903 11/1958 Narancich et al. 292-34117 X 3,049,827 8/1962 Rascov 39-87 X FOREIGN PATENTS 454,884 10/ 1936 Great Britain.

HARRISON R. MOSELEY, Primary Examiner.

D. L. TAYLOR, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A GATE LATCH AND ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A GATE HINGEDLY MOUNTED FROM ONE SIDE THEREOF FROM A FIRST GATE POST, A HANDLE RESILIENTLY MOUNTED ON THE FREE EXTREME OUTER EDGE OF SAID GATE AND EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO THE FREE EDGE OF THE GATE, A PAIR OF PIVOTALLY MOUNTED LATCH ARMS MOUNTING ON A SECOND GATE POST, SAID PIVOTALLY MOUNTED LATCH ARMS BEING SPATIALLY DISPOSED TO EACH OTHER, SAID ARMS BEING DISPOSED TO BE ENGAGED BY THE HANDLE IN CLOSING OF THE GATE, EACH OF SAID LATCH ARMS HAVING A ROCKER LUG EXTENDING AWAY FROM SAID PIVOT MOUNTING IN A GENERALLY OPPOSITE DIRECTION OF SAID ARM, THE ROCKER LUG HAVING AN END PORTION RECEIVING AN END LOOP OF A SPRING EXTENDING BETWEEN THE ROCKER LUGS, AUXILIARY LUGS EXTENDING FROM THE ROCKER LUG, AND STOP MEANS ENGAGING SAID AUXILIARY LUGS TO LIMIT THE PIVOTAL MOVEMENT OF SAID LATCH ARMS, SAID PAIR OF LATCH ARMS BEING PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON VERTICAL AXES FOR SWINGING IN A HORIZONTAL PLANE, AND STOP MEANS ADJUSTABLY MOUNTED ON THE HANDLE UNDER THE PORTION WHERE IT ENGAGES THE LATCH ARMS TO SECURE THE GATE FROM BEING LIFTED WHEN THE HANDLE IS NOT DISPLACED. 